Fake war hero sentenced in Kansas for fraud

Kansas City, Kan.  A western Missouri man who lied about being a disabled war hero to get federal contracts has been sentenced to prison in Kansas.

The U.S. Attorney's office says 70-year-old Warren Parker, of Blue Springs, Mo., was sentenced Monday to slightly more than seven years.

Parker pleaded guilty in April to numerous counts, admitting he lied to secure more than $7 million in government contracts under a program designed to help small businesses owned by service-disabled veterans.

Parker claimed he served in Vietnam and earned three Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts. In fact, authorities say, he never left Missouri while serving as a National Guard mechanic from 1963 to 1968.

Three co-defendants await trial along with Parker's company, Silver Star Construction, which operated in Missouri and Stilwell, Kan.